There have been a variety of different types and kinds of devices attempting to facilitate the setting or placement of a golf tee into the ground with a golf ball on top of it without having to bend at the waist. For example, reference may be made to the following patents and patent application:
U.S. Pat. No.Inventor2,609,198Armstrong5,759,117Erickson, Jr.5,330,178Geishert, Sr.U.S. Pub. No. 2003/Gill0069090 A15,080,357Wolf4,526,369Phelps4,949,961Milano4,969,646Tobias5,310,177Conrad, et al.4,589,661AttigDes. 368,748KellersohnDes. 322,644MurphyDes. 300,761BuryWO 01/28642Raeburn, et al.WO 00/44448Liebenguth
The foregoing U.S. patents and patent application 006909; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,080,357; 4,526,369; 4,949,961 and 4,589,661 disclose golf ball and tee setting devices having moveable jaws for grasping the ball and the tee. The application and patents 0069090; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,526,369 and 4,589,661 disclose a moveable lower jaw that swings downwardly away from the ball to release the tee once it is driven into the ground so that the device can be removed from the ball and the tee. However, it appears that it would not always be possible to drive the tee very deeply into the ground, since the lower jaw must swing downwardly away from the tee and the ball. Also, after the lower jaw swings away from the tee, the device is then moved vertically and it would appear that the lower jaw could then inadvertently dislodge the ball from the tee if the user did not carefully move the device upwardly and have the lower jaw move past the ball and the tee.
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,609,198; 4,969,649 and 5,310,177 disclose a golf ball and tee setting or positioning device which includes a clamping device, which does not include a lower moveable jaw. Instead, such as the device disclosed in patent 2,609,198, an upper ball clamping member moves vertically away from the ball, and then the user must carefully move a lower member horizontally away from the tee. The lower member includes a tee receiving elongated notch. However, due to the elongated notch, the notched member could cause the ball to be dislodged from the tee, unless the user acted with deliberate and careful movements. It is noted that, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,198, the tee setting device is designed to be held and moved by both hands of the user apparently to enable precise control of the movement of the device, so that deliberate and careful movements of the device can be executed.